Creative Matters Agency

Our organization was founded by a former inmate in a rehabilitation center. Recently released from prison and eager for a fresh start, he identified an opportunity to revamp the rehab's branding and offered to handle the design himself (a skill he developed while incarcerated; the persuasive pitching came from years of gaining others' trust while facing challenges). They agreed, and he excelled at the task. Inspired, he thought it would be beneficial to teach design to other individuals in recovery. The treatment center approved this idea, leading to our creation. Since then, we have trained over 100 individuals in recovery in areas like copywriting, design, and project management. Some have even launched their own creative businesses, which we love to collaborate with. Throughout our journey, we have also served many nonprofits and socially conscious organizations in and around Los Angeles. Although our original founder has moved on, the interns stepped up to run the organization. Kendl Ferencz, a former addict who has been sober for 12 years, was the first design intern in 2010, and Greg Kestenbaum, a recovering addict and former English teacher who is now 5 years sober, joined as a copywriting intern with a talent for his craft. They were later joined by Zach Fetters, a former designer at our organization who transitioned to freelancing to better align with his surfing schedule. We continue to welcome newly sober interns, helping them acquire skills for creative careers, pursue higher education, or simply build the confidence they need to re-enter the workforce.